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Topic: 'I think they would rather not know. (Crew of Columbia Shuttle) (Read 809 times)

Full Title: 'I think they would rather not know. Wouldn't it be better to have a happy successful flight and die unexpectedly during entry than know there was nothing to be done, until the air ran out?' How Columbia crew died in ignorance

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NASA has revealed that the Columbia crew were not told that the shuttle had been damaged and they might not survive re-entry.

The seven astronauts who died will be remembered at a public memorial service on the 10th anniversary of the disaster this Friday at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

The shuttle was headed home from a 16-day science mission when it broke apart over Texas on February 1, 2003, because of damage to its left wing.

Ten years ago, experts at NASA's mission control faced the terrible decision over whether to let the astronauts know that they may die on re-entry or face orbiting in space until the oxygen ran out.

Words can't express my anger over this!Had they known the risks, it would have been their decision, they could have said the words they wished they could have said.Then there is always the option they could have rotated the ship to give areas a break from the heat, not that it may have helped, but it would allow them to go out with a fight rather than the way they did.

If I knew my imminent doom was at hand, I would still want to measure all my options, Apollo 11 had that option and yet they came through, they didn't give up.